No More Sheet Film Developing at BWC in Dallas

[alanbutler57]

I got the email yesterday, with a whopping 10 day notice, no more developing C41 on sheet film, no more B&W of any kind (they had already discontinued E6 with similar short notice). Looks like I'm going to have to bite the bullet and develop C41 on those very rare occasions when I shoot C41 in 4x5.

Yet another impediment to people discovering, or re-discovering the beauty of film. It's too bad indeed.

[ROL]

Well, I can't help you with the color, but it looks like it's time to discover, or re-discover, the joys and specificity of developing film yourself. :)

[jbenedict]

I got my first "film is dead" shock in Dallas. In 2008, I made a trip to Dallas and was going to buy the film I needed there. Hey, big city! Lots of film! I went to Dallas Camera, asked for some 120 EPN and got the "it's special order" message. I was able to buy some Portra 160 but it was a shock. The guys there said, "The market for film hasn't just dropped, it has driven off a cliff". Should have known. There were five or six refrigerator cases out in the parking lot, waiting to be taken away.

[Brian C. Miller]

I use Edgar Praus (http://www.4photolab.com/).

In Washington State, nobody commercially develops large format color film. Panda Lab (http://www.pandalab.com) does LF B&W, and has promised color, but it's never actually been done.

[alanbutler57]

Well, I can't help you with the color, but it looks like it's time to discover, or re-discover, the joys and specificity of developing film yourself. :)

Thanks, I do develop my own black and white, just not color.

[RHITMrB]

I use Edgar Praus (http://www.4photolab.com/).

In Washington State, nobody commercially develops large format color film. Panda Lab (http://www.pandalab.com) does LF B&W, and has promised color, but it's never actually been done.

I'm going to suggest Citizens Photo (http://www.citizensphoto.com/) here in Portland - I bet they're quicker. They do dip & dunk processing.

[Drew Wiley]

In this era of everyone owning a digital camera of some type, and either just posting them on the web or owning a desktop printer themselves, what kind of business
does a lab suppose it's going to be doing in the future anyway???? Even the "digital only" lab down the street still processes C441 120 and 35mm rolls themselves, and scans any size film or copy, and takes in ALL sizes of sheet film, E6 and C41, as a convenience to their customers, which are sent to a much larger "full service" lab not too far away (but driving another twenty minutes round trip for me during rush hour makes it worth my time to pay them a bit extra, and saves me the headache)... And even they process black and white film, even sheets. Not a lot of fancy choices of developers, but it gives people who prefer film and want it scanned an option. Sounds odd, but I even have friends like that. They shoot film then put it into an inversion tank in a changing bag, then chemically develop it, then scan it themselves. Why???? Cause they got too young kids, a fresh house payment, and want a darkroom in the future, but can't afford it yet. Similarly,
there are a lot of these student types around that prefer film but have to choose between reviewing it with a scan or using a rental darkroom. Some have tried
things like contact printing and a tray ladder in a closet... but that can be kinda stuffy if you're just renting an appt and can't install a light-tight fan. Landlords in
this college town aren't exactly cooperative to suggestions, much less complaints.

[Paul Cunningham]

The price is right at Citizen's, and we also have Blue Moon Camera and Machine.

[Kimberly Anderson]

Need your 4x5 color film done? Send it to me.

Still figuring out a few things...pricing and how many sheets we need for a minimum run, etc... I've not made a formal announcement yet, while the pricing and deadlines are being worked out, but let's talk if you need some stuff done.

http://basementdarkroom.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/basementdarkroom

[RHITMrB]

The price is right at Citizen's, and we also have Blue Moon Camera and Machine.

Blue Moon forwards their LF to Citizens ;)

[jbenedict]

I use Edgar Praus (http://www.4photolab.com/).

In Washington State, nobody commercially develops large format color film. Panda Lab (http://www.pandalab.com) does LF B&W, and has promised color, but it's never actually been done.

I miss Ivey-Seright very, very much...

[Leigh]

I suggest you contact Dodge Chrome via their website http://www.dodgechrome.com/

This a major graphics processing business in the Washington DC area.
They do some really large displays, like for conventions and such.

They're also strongly committed to supporting film, both developing and printing.
They do C-41, E-6, and B&W in 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10 sheet film as well as roll film formats.

Excellent work. They do all of my sheet film developing. I do my own printing.

- Leigh

[Brian C. Miller]

i miss ivey-seright very, very much...

Stop making me cry in my latte!!! :(

[RedSun]

Both BW and C-41 are easy to do at home. Sooner or later you are going to need it if you still shoot film. The commercial labs are going away, one by one....
I can even do E6 if I have enough volume.

[Kirk Gittings]

I use Edgar Praus (http://www.4photolab.com/).

Me too. Good dependable timely service at a reasonable price.

[nonuniform]

I use Edgar Praus (http://www.4photolab.com/).

In Washington State, nobody commercially develops large format color film. Panda Lab (http://www.pandalab.com) does LF B&W, and has promised color, but it's never actually been done.

Yeah, Panda bought the dip and dunk machines from that lab in Spokane back in 2008, but they never had the space to install the machines. Sad to hear it still hasn't happened.

[kenj8246]

Developing sheet film is, in my opinion, not too hard to do using the 'taco method'. There is also the Mod54 gizmo but I find the taco method much easier. I can comfortably fit 4 4X5 sheets in a two reel plastic tank using the center column. This flickr page shows pretty well how easy it is: https://www.flickr.com/photos/digi-film/sets/72157627864733730/

Give it a try, you might like it.

[Tin Can]

I looked at his pricing.

Very cheap!

Perhaps I should never have built a darkroom...

Nah, that's where the fun is, for me.


I use Edgar Praus (http://www.4photolab.com/).

In Washington State, nobody commercially develops large format color film. Panda Lab (http://www.pandalab.com) does LF B&W, and has promised color, but it's never actually been done.

[jbenedict]

Developing sheet film is, in my opinion, not too hard to do using the 'taco method'. There is also the Mod54 gizmo but I find the taco method much easier. I can comfortably fit 4 4X5 sheets in a two reel plastic tank using the center column. This flickr page shows pretty well how easy it is: https://www.flickr.com/photos/digi-film/sets/72157627864733730/


Interesting method. Never heard of it before. Sure would be easy to load. I suppose 5x7 and 8x10 could be done in a similar way in the taller tanks. Do you ever have to soak the negatives in fixer afterward to get the last of the anti halation backing off?

Jeff

[kenj8246]

Interesting method. Never heard of it before. Sure would be easy to load. I suppose 5x7 and 8x10 could be done in a similar way in the taller tanks. Do you ever have to soak the negatives in fixer afterward to get the last of the anti halation backing off?

Jeff

I don't know about the other LF formats; only have 4X5 presently. Have not had to resort to soaking in fixer. Yet. I tend to wash a little longer than required, however. Never say never, though.

[Leigh]

Do you ever have to soak the negatives in fixer afterward to get the last of the anti halation backing off?
Never heard of that.

Anti-halation backing is water-soluble, and should come off in any of the solutions, most of it in the developer.

The final wash should remove any that might remain.

- Leigh